


No Love Allowed

by Lizz_Mayhem



Series: Sanders Sides Drabbles [8]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series), Thomas Sanders
Genre: Fluff, Love, M/M, Some angst, terribly written
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-02
Updated: 2018-06-11
Packaged: 2019-05-17 11:33:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 10,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14831501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lizz_Mayhem/pseuds/Lizz_Mayhem
Summary: An AU in which Virgil won’t allow himself to fall in love and no one knows why. Maybe he’s trying to prevent heartbreak. Maybe he’s an aromantic. Maybe he’s trying to make a point. Who knows? This weird behavior of Virgil’s isn’t necessarily harming anyone, but it is stirring up curiosity, especially for one particular person who really wants to be friends...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is crappily written so I apologize in advance if this fic is all over the place.
> 
>  
> 
> Update: I fixed it up a bit and added in waaay more stuff. I'm pretty proud of how this fic came out.

Virgil lied alone in his bed, listening to the footsteps pass by his door. Muffled voices sharing secrets, possibly. Sharing rude comments about him, possibly.

 

There was no denying that Virgil was a little weird. He didn’t really socialize much - he never could, really - and he didn’t seem to have any hobbies or friends. Because of this, no one really knew much about him so everyone was left to assume.

 

Virgil hears everything, much to his advantage and disliking. He usually acts like he doesn’t hear anything when he eventually does go outside but that’s just him playing an act. He’s heard older people bicker about his appearance, saying he wore too much dark clothing and that he would look better if he smiled more. He’s heard the insults that were thrown at him, the names that have now become meaningless to him. He’s heard how weird he is for being so closed off. And, of course, he’s heard everyone question why he doesn’t want relationships. It irked him to hear that topic the most. He didn’t need everyone knowing why. He didn’t want their pity. He just wanted to be left alone.

 

There was a knock at his door. Virgil got up from his bed and slowly opened it. He looked down to see Logan standing there, his arms crossed and his foot tapping.

 

“Yes, Log-”

 

“It’s a quarter past nine.”

 

Virgil sighed and looked down at his feet.

 

There were never any hellos or good mornings from Logan. Just scoldings and reminders.

 

“Sorry.”

 

Logan sighed and muttered, “That’s all I ever hear from you, Anxiety. When will you ever learn?” He then marched off to the living room.

 

Virgil gently shut the door and leaned against it. He didn’t like the nickname Logan had given him but he wasn’t in any place to complain. At least, that’s what Logan says.

 

Logan is Virgil’s adoptive father. He had said he had always wanted kids but of course could never have them so he adopted instead. Somehow, Logan had ended up adopting Virgil. Everyone thought it rather odd since he and Virgil don’t really get along but the doubt was cast aside and Virgil was welcomed into the family. At least, that’s how Logan puts it.

 

Sometimes Virgil wondered if Logan actually cared for him. Sure, Logan could’ve thrown Virgil out at any given moment but Virgil had a feeling that Logan hadn’t thrown him out on the streets out of spite. Virgil had found out a while ago that Logan’s family had told him he wouldn’t be able to raise a kid on his own, so he was pretty sure Logan was just trying to prove his family wrong at this point.

 

Virgil trudged out of his room, now fully dressed, and walked over to the bathroom to wash up. He looked at himself in the bathroom mirror and frowned a bit. He looked like he hadn’t slept in ages. And maybe there was some truth there, considering that he couldn’t remember the last time he had gotten a full night’s rest. He turned the sink on and splashed cold water on his face.

 

_ Wake up,  _ he told himself.  _ You don’t want to hear another lecture about this. _

 

After he finished cleaning up, he walked over to the living room to see notebooks scattered all over the coffee table. That meant one of two things: either Logan pulled another all-nighter or Logan was going to be busy all day.

 

“Anxiety!”

 

Virgil sighed and walked into the kitchen to see Logan writing something on the “family” calendar.

 

“Yes, Logan?”

 

“Are you ready?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Logan capped the sharpie he held in his hand and placed it down on the counter. He then turned to face Virgil. He frowned slightly.

 

“Is your room tidied up?” Virgil nodded.

 

“Yes.”

 

Logan opened his mouth to say something but instead shut it and walked past Virgil. Virgil watched as Logan closed up all of the notebooks and stacked them.

 

“We’re going out. I’m sure you’re going out like that, right?”

 

Virgil refrained from sighing.

 

“Yes, I am.”

 

“Alright then.” Logan grabbed the car keys, shaking them a bit. “Get in the car. We’re going to the bakery.”

 

**~~~~~~~~~~**

 

The bakery was one of Logan’s favorite places to go when he needed to unwind. Most assumed it was because he loved the sweets there but Virgil knew better. There was a certain baker’s son that Logan wanted to see. Of course, Virgil would never say it out loud - otherwise, he’d probably get the worst scolding of his life - but he could tell from the way Logan looked at the baker’s son that he was in love with him.

 

They arrived at the bakery and Logan told Virgil to try to look more “lively”. It took all of Virgil’s willpower to not scoff.

 

The walked in and were hit the smell of sweet, fresh baked bread. Virgil looked around and saw some people eating their pastries and laughing. He then noticed Logan’s sweetheart at the counter, writing something. He nudged Logan a bit, to which Logan cleared his throat and approached the oblivious man.

 

“Hello Roman!” Logan chirped. Roman jumped a bit and quickly hid the paper. He looked up and smiled.

 

“Hey, Logan! What can I get you?”

 

_ Your number,  _ Virgil thought.  _ That or just put him out of his misery. _

 

“Oh, nothing for me! My apologies, did I interrupt you?” Roman shook his head.

 

“No, no! I was actually finished with that,” Roman said as he laughed nervously. Virgil didn’t comment on it. Instead, he looked down at the various options of bread laid out before him. He could just take the usual. Or he could do something different for once.

 

“Virgil?”

 

He looked over to see Logan staring.

 

“Yes?” he asked.

 

“Would you like something?”

 

Virgil tensed up a bit.

 

“Um…”

 

_ Think Virgil! Think! _

 

“You got anything new I could try?”

 

_ Aaaand you look like an idiot now. _

 

Roman grinned.

 

“Actually, we do.” He stood up from his chair. “I’ll be right back.” He then walked off to the back.

 

Virgil could see Logan’s frown.

 

“What was that?” he asked him. Virgil shrugged.

 

“I panicked…”

 

Logan’s sigh dripped with disappointment. Virgil said nothing.

 

The two waited until Roman came back with a little basket and Virgil’s eyes widened. The basket contained purple cake pops, some with little rain clouds on them.

 

“I hope they taste alright. My dad taught me how to bake them but I’m not entirely sure if I did it right.”

 

Roman slid the basket over to Virgil, who carefully took it into his arms. Logan smiled at Roman.

 

“Thank you, Roman. I appreciate it.”

 

“Yeah, thanks.”

 

Roman nodded.

 

“Of course!”

 

Virgil held the basket close to his chest and watched as Logan and Roman picked up conversation. He told himself he’d wait to eat them at home.

 

As Roman and Logan continued talking, Virgil noticed a kid standing near the doorway of the backdoor. He looked like he was his age and he wore a cat hoodie. The kid noticed him and flashed a warm smile that caused Virgil’s heart to speed up. He then waved and Virgil immediately averted his gaze. After a few minutes, Virgil looked back up and saw that the kid was gone.

 

**~~~~~~~~~~**

 

“Who was that?”

 

Roman turned around to see his father standing there, his arms crossed.

 

“Logan.”

 

He pursed his lips and walked off. Roman sighed.

 

His father had never really been fond of Logan and sadly it wasn’t because of Logan himself. It was because of Virgil. Roman could understand why his father wouldn’t like Virgil but for him to not like  _ Logan  _ because of Virgil? That was just messed up.

 

“So, did it happen?”

 

Roman jumped and turned to Patton standing before him. He sighed.

 

“Patton, please don’t do that.”

 

“Sorry! I just wanted to see if it went well, kiddo!”

 

Despite being younger than Roman, Patton insisted on calling him kiddo. Roman, surprisingly, allowed it.

 

“Well, yeah, it did go well.” Patton grinned.

  
“Did you give him the note?”

 

Roman shook his head. Patton gasped.

 

“I didn’t want to push anything, y’know?” Patton nodded.

 

“How did Virgil react when he saw the pops?”

 

Roman smiled.

 

“His eyes lit up. It’s as if he’d never seen them before. I’m sure he loved them.”

 

Patton’s eyes widened and a grin formed on his face.

 

“Now when are you going to show yourself, hm?”

 

Patton laughed and looked down.

 

“How is your prince charming supposed to fall in love with you if he doesn’t even know you exist?”

 

Patton blushed a bit and twiddled his thumbs.

 

“Uh, well…”

 

Roman smiled at him.

 

“Just go up to him next time and say hi. I’m sure he’s  _ bound  _ to say something.”

 

Patton nodded but didn’t look up.

 

Patton was, for the lack of a better word, curious, to say the least. Then again, who wouldn’t be? It sounded like an adventure to him, really - a prince locked away in a tower, being kept away, or guarded, by his dragon of not being able to fall in love. He was determined to be the night that saved Virgil - even if Virgil was willingly shutting himself in.

 

Although, Patton had seen the way Virgil had averted his gaze from him and he wondered why.

 

He’d find out soon enough.


	2. Chapter 2

Logan set the keys down on the counter and turned to face Virgil, who sat at the kitchen table.

 

“Sure was nice of him to give you that,” he said, motioning to the basket Virgil held so close to his chest. Virgil nodded. “Why haven’t you eaten one?”

 

“I didn’t want to accidentally make a mess or something.”

 

Logan hummed in response. Virgil looked up at him.

 

“Did you get anything?” he asked him. Logan shook his head.

 

“No, I didn’t.”

 

_ Liar,  _ Virgil thought, knowing very well his eyes had not played a trick on him. Logan had successfully managed to get Roman’s number. It was quite interesting to watch, actually, but Virgil would never say it aloud.

 

“Why do you ask?”

 

Virgil glanced down at his basket.

 

“Would you like one?” he offered.

 

“Thank you but no. They’re yours. Eat them.” Virgil nodded and set the basket down on the table.

 

As Virgil unwrapped the basket, Logan couldn’t help but feel…bad. He had been aware of all the looks the people had given him when they had entered the bakery. He wasn’t sure if Virgil had noticed - truthfully, he hoped not - but he had to refrain from shooting people dirty looks.

 

For all Logan bickers with Virgil, Virgil was still his son. He would provide a roof over his head, a warm bed to sleep in, food to eat - just someplace Virgil could potentially call home. Logan knew what the struggle of not having a home growing up and he didn’t want Virgil to suffer through that.

 

And yet Logan couldn’t help but think that Virgil felt less than comfortable in his home. He wasn’t sure if Virgil even saw the place as home. He probably just saw it the way Logan saw work - a building filled with people who he sometimes couldn’t stand - and sadly, Logan can understand why.

 

As much as Logan hated to admit it, he knew absolutely nothing about Virgil. All he did know was that Virgil’s favorite color was purple and that he seemed to like the rain. Of course, he also knew why Virgil had never pursued any romantic relationship. He admired Virgil for that much, that was certain. Still, other than those few things, he was utterly clueless on Virgil’s interests. So when Roman had given him the basket and had seen the way Virgil’s eyes had lit up…it just made him wonder.

 

“Hey, Logan?”

 

Logan winced.

 

“Yes?”

 

“Where do I put the rest of these?”

 

“You can take them with you to your room.”

 

Virgil flashed a look of uncertainty at Logan and hesitantly grabbed the basket.

 

“Alright.”

 

And with that, Virgil stood up and trudged to his room. Logan heard the door shut.

 

_ Does Virgil even see me as his father?  _ he thought. He wouldn’t be surprised if Virgil didn’t see him that way. After all, he hadn’t really allowed Virgil to call him “dad” or “father”. For all he knew, Virgil could have seen him as just an adult who was looking after him.

 

Logan sighed and walked over to the coffee table.

 

_ It’s time to get to work. _

 

He flipped open one of the notebooks and set off to work.

 

**~~~~~~~~~~**

 

_ I’m sure falling in love feels nice,  _ Virgil thought as he stared up at his ceiling.

 

Virgil would be lying if he said he didn’t envy Logan. Logan didn’t have to worry about his lungs shutting down whenever he talked with someone remotely attractive. Logan didn’t have to worry about his heart suddenly bursting whenever he felt butterflies in his stomach. Logan didn’t have to worry about passing out whenever someone would try to kiss him. Logan didn’t have to worry about anything. The only thing he had to worry about was those feelings being reciprocated.

 

He, on the other hand, had to worry about all of those things.

 

Virgil remembers the first time he was told by his doctors that he would never be able to fall in love if he wanted to live long. The doctors weren’t sure why Virgil’s body responded to love that way but if they wanted to be cautious, Virgil would have to avoid falling in love.

 

That order was easier said than done.

 

Virgil ended up being hospitalized for a long while after the first time. It had happened accidentally, which was exactly what the doctors had feared. They understood, though. Sometimes, it just couldn’t be helped. He couldn’t remember a time he hadn’t been in the hospital up until the doctors deemed him well enough to go out into the real world. Then it was off to the orphanage where he was separated from the other kids for fear of being hospitalized again.

 

All of this had been explained to each and every potential parent which, of course, drove them off. Virgil thought for a long time that there was just no chance of being adopted up until Logan came. For some reason, Logan hadn’t been deterred by the fact that Virgil couldn’t fall in love - in fact, he had stated that it would be one less thing to worry about - and had insisted on adopting him which, obviously, ended up happening. Virgil had been grateful - still is, in fact - but he just couldn’t shake off the envy. And that caused the guilt to build up.

 

Virgil had thought that it couldn’t possibly get any worse with the whole not being able to fall in love thing but it did, in fact, get worse. The doctors had found an effect from Virgil’s condition - his guilt would overwhelm him to the point where it would end up hospitalizing him as well. Luckily, his heart wouldn’t burst and his lungs wouldn’t stop functioning but he would end up passing out randomly. That proved difficult for Virgil at times, especially since Logan wasn’t told of the side effect - since Virgil assumed it would be fewer problems for Logan - but he learned to manage it the best he could. He was now just worrying about managing the guilt before it became too much for him.

 

He reached over and ate another cake pop. Contrary to what Roman said, the cake pops tasted great. Although, Virgil doubted Roman actually made them - decorated them, sure, but not made. He knew that Roman couldn’t bake to save his life. He also knew Roman’s father hated him so there was no way  _ he  _ would’ve made them. He wasn’t sure who else could’ve made them, though.

 

Virgil was taken out of his thoughts when he heard,“Virgil?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“I’m going to the store. Do you need anything?”

 

Virgil looked around his room looking for anything that could be missing or almost gone.

 

“No.”

 

“Alright, I shall be back shortly.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Virgil listened as the footsteps slowly got quieter and eventually the front door opened and shut.

 

_ Typical. _

 

Virgil laid back down and turned to his tv. There was never anything good on but he needed the background noise. He grabbed the remote and turned the tv on, then proceeded to flip endlessly through the channels.

 

**~~~~~~~~~~**

 

“He asked you what?” Patton asked as he looked up from his painting. Roman sat nearby with his face in his hands.

 

“He asked me why I was wasting my time pursuing someone who wasn’t worth it.” Roman looked up and Patton could see the utter exasperation in his eyes. “I just…don’t understand why he doesn’t want me to be happy.”

 

“He doesn’t want to become the talk of the town,” Patton said, sighing. He gently set his paintbrush down. “It’ll start with you becoming the talk of the town, then onto him, and you know he  _ hates  _ being talked about if it isn't in a positive tone.” Roman rolled his eyes.

 

“Well, he needs to get over it and understand that I can love whoever I want!” Patton nodded. “If anything, he should just worry about  _ you,  _ since you’re the one who likes the guy he hates.” Patton frowned a bit. “No offense! I didn’t mean - sorry.”

 

“I understand what you mean…” Patton turned away, trying to hide his face. Roman sighed.

 

“I’m sorry…it’s just that he hates Logan because of him-”

 

“Well, then that’s his problem.”

 

Patton stood up, gathered his art supplies and started to walk away.

 

“Where are you going?”

 

“Someplace where I won’t be reminded of how much I’ve been ridiculed for trying.”

 

And with that, Patton disappeared, leaving Roman to worry.


	3. Chapter 3

Logan shut the door and set the groceries down on the table. He knew he had forgotten something when he got home but he couldn’t remember what it was until he was already an hour into working.

 

_ I suppose Roman threw me off,  _ he thought as he started putting everything away.

 

Logan remembered the day he entered the bakery. It had been a Friday, work had let him off early so he had some extra time to himself. He had decided to enter the bakery since the pastries smelled good. When he entered, the warmth immediately overwhelmed him. He looked around at the pastries on display and contemplated buying some.

 

That was when Roman had appeared.

 

He had leaned over the counter and wished him a warm welcome to the bakery. Logan had been taken aback since Roman was very lively but he didn’t want to seem rude and ended up buying something from the bakery. After that encounter, he insisted on visiting the bakery whenever he got the chance. Virgil had found it a little confusing at first but he didn’t question him, thankfully. Although there was no denying it - Logan had fallen in love with Roman.

 

He had pondered over it for many days and nights, pulling all-nighters just to comprehend how he could have allowed himself to fall for someone like Roman. He remembers lying to Virgil each time he asked him why he seemed so restless. He didn’t need Virgil knowing about his little “crush” - who knows how he’d react. Eventually, Logan came to the conclusion that he was hopelessly in love and now he was trying to come up with a plan to tell Roman how he felt about him.

 

“Hey Logan, are you okay?”

 

The question made Logan jump and turn around to see Virgil standing in the doorway to the kitchen.

 

“Yes, I’m fine. Why?”

 

“Then why are you putting the milk in the cabinets?”

 

Logan turned to see that he was indeed trying to place the gallon of milk into the cabinet. He opened the fridge and put the milk away before turning back to Virgil.

 

“I may be a bit, um, absent-minded today.”

 

“Do you need help?”

 

Logan hesitated. He usually wasn’t one to say yes but once Roman came to mind...well, he was left in compromising state.

 

“Yes, please.” Virgil nodded and motioned for Logan to leave the kitchen. Logan did so and walked over to his notebooks on the coffee table.

 

_ Maybe going back to work will set my mind at ease… _

 

**~~~~~~~~~~**

 

Roman stood beside his father and watched him pack pastries. Patton walked in and cleared his throat.

 

“I’m going out for a walk. Is there anything you need me to do before I go?”

 

Roman’s father shook his head.

 

“No, I have Roman here helping me.” Roman frowned a bit but said nothing.

 

“Alrighty then. Bye!”

 

“Be careful! If you run into that anxiety kid, make sure to go the other direction!”

 

It was Patton’s turn to frown.

 

“He hardly ever goes out-”

 

“Exactly.” Roman’s father laughed and Patton’s frown deepened. He pulled his hood up and walked out. 

 

“What’s the matter with him?” Roman sighed.

 

“He...doesn’t like it when you talk like that about people.” Roman’s father rolled his eyes.

 

“Well, too bad. That’s how the real world is. People talk shit and you have to be able to take it on like a man.” Roman rolled his eyes.

 

Needless to say that he was also fed up with his father talking like that. Then again, Roman was just fed up with his father. Their relationship was…rocky, to say the least. His dad was homophobic and sexist. Roman was gay and didn’t really apply to gender norms. So, of course, Roman’s father wouldn’t approve of anything he does. When Roman told the family he wanted to do theatre, his father went into a rage and said that men weren’t supposed to do theatre because it was “gay and stupid”. When Roman came out, his father threatened to disown him.

 

Do you see why their relationship is bad?

 

Since Roman and his father argued so often, Patton would leave just to regain a bit of his sanity. He wasn’t sure why or how Roman put up with his father but he admired him for that.

 

Patton looked around and took in the scenery around him. He currently stood under a tree in the park nearby the bakery. The tree was one of Patton’s favorites. It reminded him of when he was a kid and all the times his parents would bring him there whenever they had time. Those were good times.

 

As Patton sat down under the tree, he wondered about Virgil. Sure, maybe he was being a bit ridiculous in thinking he could figure out why Virgil acted the way he did. But it certainly didn’t hurt to try, did it?

 

**~~~~~~~~~~**

 

_ This isn’t working. _

 

Logan set his notebook down and ran a hand through his hair. Working didn’t seem to put his mind off of Roman. If anything, Roman was dominating all of his thoughts.

 

_ What am I going to do? _

 

He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. He could hear Virgil’s tv playing in the background.

 

_ I hope he hasn’t fallen asleep. _

 

Logan couldn’t remember the number of times he’d walked into Virgil’s room and Virgil was asleep. He wasn’t necessarily annoyed by it - no matter how annoyed he seemed - but it  _ did  _ get tedious at times.

 

He stood up and walked over to Virgil’s room. He slowly opened the door and peered inside the blank room to see Virgil laying on his bed with the tv remote in hand.

 

_ He doesn’t look asleep...although he might be close to it. _

 

He looked around the room and felt a pang of guilt. Virgil’s walls were bare and the only color in his room belonged to his bed and closet - and that was really saying something.

 

_ Maybe we should do something with this room...It would do him some good... _

 

Logan backed away and walked back to the living room. He opened his wallet and flipped through it.

 

_ I think I have enough in here for some paint to cover the walls...possibly something else too. _

 

He gently set his wallet down on the coffee table and glanced at his notebooks. He wasn’t in the mood to finish his work but he wasn’t sure what to do now. He contemplated texting Roman but figured he was still with his father and he could only imagine how his father would react to seeing a text from him.

 

_ Why is he like this? _

 

Logan knew there wouldn’t be a definite answer to the question. There were multiple possible answers to it and there was no way he could pinpoint the exact reason as to why his father was homophobic other than just asking him. But, of course, Logan wasn’t going to just go up to Roman’s father and ask him. That would be...irrational, for the lack of a better word, and it could possibly result in him getting hurt and he knew the last thing he needed was a bruise on his face. A bruise would only cause trouble - trouble that would come in the form of everyone trying to pry and figure out what happened.

 

Logan sat down on the couch and sighed.

 

_ Why did I have to go and fall in love with the baker’s son? _


	4. Chapter 4

Sad didn’t accurately describe how he felt.

 

Patton was used to this mood - it came and went as it pleased. He tried explaining it to someone once but they never really understood. No one understood, really, so he never talked about it.

 

_ Why have you come back this time? _

 

But it didn’t take a genius to figure out why it had come back.

 

Patton sat up and stared out his window. He looked out into the yard to see the big tree casting a shadow over his window. He smiled a bit, sensing the slight comfort it brought, but that smile faded as he heard the yelling.

 

_ Please don’t start this early… _

 

Sadly, it was starting this early.

 

Patton could vaguely remember the last time there was any peace and quiet in the house. Now all he could ever hear was the exchanging of curses and foul names his parents called each other. One threatened divorce, the other threatened death, then it went back to calling each other names.

 

Patton covered his ears and waited until the voices passed his door. He then quietly stood up and got dressed.

 

His door creaked open to a war. The onslaught of screaming was too much for Patton to bear. He hesitantly walked downstairs and into the kitchen where his parents stood dangerously close to one another. He debated getting involved but then remembered the bruise he had gotten on his chest that was still healing. He slowly backed off and walked out of the house.

 

_ They don’t need me at the bakery today… _

 

Patton closed the gate behind him and stood with his hand clasped on the cold lock.

 

_ Nobody needs me… _

 

Patton walked down the street and looked around. There was a lady running with her headphones plugged in and an old man was walking his dog. He could hear the same classical music being played on the radio from the elderly couple that lived a few houses down from him. The swingset further down slowly swung back and forth, probably moved from the slight breeze passing through.

 

This street hadn’t seen kids for a very long time.

 

Patton reached the end of the street where it divided into two. He now had to make the choice of either going left or right. The left side led to the bakery and the park. The right side led to more streets to explore.

 

_ Maybe it’d be best to avoid people I know until I can get this mood to go away. _

 

And with that, Patton took the right road.

 

**~~~~~~~~~~**

 

Virgil woke to the sound of coughing. He slowly sat up and waited.

 

_ No, that’s definitely coughing. _

 

He got up and grabbed a medical mask. He then walked over to the source of the coughing - Logan’s room.

 

_ Oh gee, I can only wonder what denial he’s in… _

 

Virgil put on the mask and slowly opened the door. He peeked in to see Logan in bed with a box of tissues beside him. Logan coughed into a tissue he held in his hand and groaned.

 

“Logan?” Virgil asked.

 

Logan sat up and tried to hide the evidence of his sickness before Virgil could “walk in”.

 

“Yes, Virgil?” he croaked.

 

_ Yup, he’s in denial. _

 

Virgil swung the door open and looked in. He could tell Logan was truly sick since Logan had merely stuffed the box under the bed and it was sticking out from underneath.

 

Logan saw the medical mask and his eyes widened.

 

“What’s with the medical mask?”

 

“Logan, I can see the tissues poking out from underneath the bed,” he said, pointing to the box. Logan looked and frowned.

 

“I’m not-”

 

“Logan, please.” Logan looked up at Virgil. “I’m not dealing with you being in denial for the fifteenth time, okay? Just tell me what you need and I’ll give it to you.”

 

Logan didn’t say anything at first. Virgil could tell that he was debating things in his mind so he waited patiently.

 

“Alright. I just-” Logan stopped and grabbed a tissue to cough into “-need the cough medicine.”

 

Virgil nodded and walked out of the room and into the kitchen.

 

He opened the medicine cabinet and looked through it. Advil, Tylenol, Virgil’s anxiety medication, sleeping pills-

 

No cough medicine.

 

_ Shit. _

 

Virgil checked again, this time moving some of the bottles around to make sure that it wasn’t hidden anywhere. Sadly, it wasn’t hidden. There was no more cough medicine.

 

Virgil made his way back to Logan’s room. He looked up to see Logan sitting up in bed. His eyes widened when he saw Virgil empty-handed.

 

“No cough medicine?” Virgil shook his head. “You checked more than once? Moved the bottles around?” Virgil nodded. Logan looked down and muttered something under his breath.

 

“Logan?”

 

Logan looked up.

 

“Virgil,” Logan started as he coughed into a tissue. “I’m going to need you to get me more medicine…”

 

Virgil felt just about ready to pass out.

 

_ I’m going to need to down the entire bottle of my medication… _

 

“I know that isn’t ideal,” he heard Logan say. “I hate being sick and you hate being in public but you and I both know I’m in no condition to go out like this.” Virgil nodded.

 

Obviously, there was truth to what Logan said. Virgil couldn’t count the number of times Logan had gone out somewhere sick only for his condition to worsen. That’s the entire reason they made sure there was cough medicine at home - to avoid situations like these. But Virgil could tell that Roman had caused Logan to forget to buy the cough medicine, so now  _ he  _ had to go out and face the stares and whispers of everyone so that Logan could get better.

 

_ Let’s hope I don’t get jumped. _

 

Virgil was already at the door when he heard Logan shout,“Please don’t get into trouble! I know you won’t be the one who starts anything but I can’t bear to imagine the consequences of something happening and  _ you _ were somehow involved!”

 

It took all of Virgil’s willpower to not roll his eyes.

 

He step foot outside and took in a deep breath of air.

 

_ It’s okay Virgil. You can do this. It’s just going to the store then back home. It’s not that hard… _

 

Virgil wished there was truth to that statement.

 

He looked around to see if any of his nosy neighbors were outside. At first, it seemed like no one was out but then he heard the sound of a garage door opening and he immediately bolted inside and shut the door.

 

“Virgil?” Logan called out. “What happened?”

 

“I think I heard one of the neighbors leaving right now. I’m going to stay in here for a few minutes until they leave.”

 

“...Alright. Which neighbor was it, do you know?”

 

Virgil peeked through the curtains to see a familiar red mustang.

 

“It’s Loraine.”

 

Loraine was a bitter woman. She never had anything good to say about anyone which meant she was absolutely ruthless when it came to Virgil. One time she caused him to pass out and he hit his head on the edge of the curb. Loraine ran inside her house and pretended she didn’t know what happened when Logan found him an hour later. He had been rushed to the hospital and he turned out fine, thankfully. Of course, Virgil told Logan what had happened and now both Logan and Virgil were wary of her.

 

He watched as the mustang slowly drove past his house. He could only imagine all the horrible things Loraine was muttering to herself about him.

 

Virgil heard a cough from behind him. He looked over to see Logan standing a few feet away from him, watching Loraine’s mustang as well.

 

“How did you-”

 

“You were deep in thought. That usually causes people to not be able to notice anything or hear very well until they’re pulled out of it.”

 

Logan coughed a bit and handed Virgil his medication.

 

“What-”

 

“Just in case. I know I’m a sort of safety blanket for you so not being there might affect you harshly. This will act as your substitute safety blanket.” Virgil nodded and placed the bottle in his pocket. “Please do not try to take more than five of those pills. They will cause you to pass out and who knows how long it’ll be until anyone in their right mind calls an ambulance for you…”

 

Virgil sensed the worry in Logan’s voice. For all Logan insisted that he could manage Virgil, times like these proved just how worried Logan could get. Hell, it showed just how much he cared for Virgil - if that was truly what the worry was for.

 

“Please be careful.” Logan turned away and coughed into his sleeve. “I’m sorry I’m a mess, currently. Please hurry back with the medication.” Logan gently rubbed his throat. “Do you have your phone with you?” Virgil nodded and turned it on. “And it’s at full charge. Good.” Logan gently pushed Virgil to the side as he looked out. “Looks like everything’s clear. Go now.”

 

Virgil walked out and firmly gripped his phone and medication.

 

_ Everything should be fine. Just ignore anyone who gives you bad looks or makes a negative remark. _

 

And with that, Virgil set off to the store.


	5. Chapter 5

“Roman, come help me with this!”

 

Roman held back a groan and walked over to see his father struggling with a large cake.

 

“Woah! Why’d you make it so big?!” Roman asked as he lifted the cake and set it down on the table. Roman’s father sighed.

 

“That’s how the customer ordered it.” He turned to Roman. “Nothing new?” Roman shook his head.

 

“Just the regulars.”

 

“And Patton?”

 

“I thought you didn’t need him today?”

 

“I don’t. I’m just asking about him.”

 

“Oh. Well, he hasn’t called me or anything so-”

 

“Oh, I see. His parents must’ve done something.”

 

Roman winced at the thought.

 

He and his father knew Patton’s parents - really, his father was friends with Patton’s father. But that changed once the fighting started. Now whenever Roman’s father ever saw Patton’s parents, they would always be fighting.

 

Neither of them knew how bad it got, though.

 

“Call him and see if he needs a safe place. We’ll take him in.” Roman nodded and picked up his phone.

 

The phone rang a couple of times and just as Roman was about to hang up, Patton answered.

 

“Patton?”

 

“Hey Roman. What’s up?”

 

_ Damn, it’s come back… _

 

“Oh, nothing much. Dad asked about you, is all.”

 

“Oh. Does he need me to go there or-”

 

“No, he was just wondering if you were alright.”

 

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

 

“...Are you sure?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“...Alright. Well, call me if you need anything, okay? And I mean  _ anything _ .”

 

“Yeah, I know. Thanks.”

 

“Alright then, bye!”

 

“Bye.”

 

Roman set his phone down and tapped his fingers on the counter. He could sense that Patton wasn’t alright but he wasn’t one to pry - lord only knows what would happen if he tried to ask him about it.

 

Roman’s father walked back in.

 

“Roman! If you chew on your lip anymore it’ll start bleeding!”

 

Roman stopped chewing.

 

“Sorry.”

 

“How’s Patton.”

 

“He says he’s okay. I don’t think he was home though since I didn’t hear any arguing.”

 

“Hm...interesting.”

 

“Understandable is what it is.” Roman’s father nodded in agreement.

 

“Alright, we need to get back to work.” Roman nodded and watched as his father retreated to the back of the bakery.

 

_ Poor Patton. I hope this ends soon for him. _

 

**~~~~~~~~~~**

 

Patton had been walking for some time when he had received the call from Roman. The mood hadn’t gone away but he felt guilty just ignoring him so he answered. He was sure Roman would pick up on the tone of his voice but Roman didn’t really ask him anything about it.

 

_ Better he didn’t. _

 

Patton had walked past a couple of streets before ending up in front of a store. He stepped into it and looked around.

 

It was a neat little store. It had all the usual things you’d find in a store except for anything containing alcohol. At least, that’s what it  _ looked  _ like. Patton didn’t drink so he couldn’t be sure.

 

_ Do I need anything from here? _

 

Patton walked around a bit, looking through the aisles and just observing. Then he remembered.

 

_ I need band-aids… _

 

He entered the health aisle and walked past all of the medicines to find that there were, in fact, band-aids in the aisle.

 

_ Score! _

 

He picked up two boxes and some rubbing alcohol.

 

_ This should do it. _

 

Satisfied, he turned around and walked right into someone. He ended up dropping both his items and the other person’s items.

 

“Oops! Sorry!” he said as he leaned down to pick them up. He picked up his items and the other person’s item - cough medicine - and stood up to hand it to the person. “Here you-” Patton stopped and nearly dropped the items again before he caught them.

 

In front of him stood his crush, Virgil. He looked like he always did except this time he wore a medical mask over his face.

 

“Hey, I know you,” Patton said as he tried to shake himself out of his daze. He handed Virgil his medicine, which he hesitantly grabbed. “Your name’s Virgil, right?” Virgil nodded. “I’m Patton! It’s nice to meet you!”

 

“It’s...it’s nice to meet you too,” Virgil mumbled out. Patton grinned.

 

“Hey!”

 

Virgil and Patton turned to see the store manager glaring at them.

 

“Hurry up and get something! Otherwise, I’m kicking you out! Especially  _ you _ , freak!”

 

Patton frowned as he noticed Virgil hang his head.

 

_ How does he have the audacity to just call a kid a freak?! _

 

Patton walked over to the register with Virgil and noticed Virgil looking through his pockets.

 

_ Does he not have money…? _

 

“Which one of you is going first?”

 

“Actually, I’m paying,” Patton said as he quickly grabbed the cough medicine from Virgil and set it with his stuff. The manager stared at Patton for a bit before scanning his items.

 

_ I actually just did that. _

 

Needless to say, Patton was impressed with himself.

 

After the manager bagged his stuff, he kicked Patton and Virgil out.

 

“Well  _ somebody  _ woke up on the wrong side of the bed today!” Patton said as he handed Virgil his medicine.

 

“Thanks,” Virgil mumbled. “S-sorry you ha-ad to-”

 

“Oh, it’s fine!” Patton smiled. “I figured you didn’t have anything. Forgot, maybe?” Virgil nodded and turned away slightly. “Yeah. You live around here?” Virgil pointed back the way Patton came from. “Hey, I live down that way too! Want me to walk you home?”

 

Virgil’s eyes widened and Patton mentally scolding himself.

 

_ Nice going, puss. You really sound like a normal human being there. _

 

“S-Sure. It’s the least I could do…”

 

_ Yes! _

 

Patton nodded and the two started walking.

 

“Where’s your dad at?”

 

Patton saw Virgil wince.

 

“He’s at home.”

 

“Oh?”

 

“He’s sick.”

 

“Oh.”

 

_ The cough medicine is for him then! Wait until I tell Roman! _

 

“Do you, uh…” Patton turned to Virgil. He looked like he was trying to find the right words to say. “You work...at the bakery?” Patton nodded. “With Roman?” Patton nodded again.

 

“Yeah, it’s kinda fun working there! Roman’s really funny when he starts messing around with his dad. He misplaces things on purpose, eats some of the pastries, lets some customers eat for free. There isn’t really a day that isn’t, well, interesting.”

 

Okay, so that last part might’ve been a stretch, but Patton wouldn’t be lying if he said he didn’t have fun there. Sometimes.

 

Patton heard Virgil mumble,“So you’re the one who made the cake pops…”

 

“What was that?” Virgil stiffened and shook his head vigorously.

 

“Nothing! Nothing! Oh look, here’s my street!”

 

Virgil began walking ahead of Patton. Patton had to start jogging in order to keep up with him.

 

“Hey, wait, what are you- Oh hey, this is a nice house!”

 

Virgil and Patton stood in front of the door of Virgil’s house. Virgil heaved a sigh and turned to Patton.

 

“Uh, thanks for walking me…”

 

Patton grinned.

 

“Oh, you’re welcome!”

 

As Virgil turned around, the door flung open to reveal a coughing Logan.

 

“Virgil! I called you-” Logan coughed “-and you didn’t answer!” Logan coughed again. “Are you okay?” Virgil nodded and ran inside. Logan looked back, confused but then turned around to see Patton standing there. “Oh, hello there.”

 

“Hi! Sorry if I’m making things weird. I’ll go now-”

 

“Wait.” Patton stood in place. “You didn’t have anything to do with…?” Logan’s words trailed off but Patton knew what he was getting at.

 

“Well, I mean, I bought his medicine for him and walked him home.” Logan nodded a bit.

 

“Sorry for his rude behavior. He’s just not used to-”

 

“Oh no, I understand! It’s okay.”

 

“Well alright then. Goodbye!”

 

“Bye!” Patton waved before walking off. Logan shut his door.

 

_ That...could’ve gone worse. _

 

Patton hugged himself and smiled a bit.

 

_ At least he talked to me. _

 

He smiled a bit more.

 

_ I’m definitely telling this to Roman. _


	6. Chapter 6

“Virgil?”

 

Logan crept into Virgil’s room to see him curled up on his bed. He could hear his fast breaths and could see him trembling.

 

_ Oh no…could it be…? _

 

Logan sat down on the edge of Virgil’s bed and hesitantly reached over to him. Virgil looked up and the look in his eyes gave it away.

 

“So that’s why you reacted like that…”

 

Virgil didn’t say anything. Instead, he laid his head back down and tried desperately to calm himself. Logan frowned a bit and, against his better judgement, pulled Virgil into a hug. Virgil collapsed into his arms and started sobbing.

 

_ Oh boy… _

 

Logan did his best to calm him down. He wasn’t used to this. Then again, neither was Virgil. It had been a while since Virgil had panicked like this - this time for a plausible reason.

 

“Virgil, it’s okay. You-”

 

“No, it’s not! I’m going to end up in the hospital again! I don’t wanna go back, Logan! I don’t want to go back!”

 

Virgil sobbed harder and held onto Logan.

 

“No, you won’t end up back there again.” Logan coughed slightly and held back the rest. “I won’t...allow it.” Virgil trembled some more. “It’s fine. You’ll-” he coughed “-be fine.” Logan reached over to Virgil’s desk and grabbed the small box of tissues. He then took a few out and lifted Virgil’s head. He gently wiped the tears away and handed him a tissue. Virgil took it and blew his nose. He then wipes his eyes on his sleeves.

 

“I-I didn’t think-”

 

“I know you didn’t.” Logan coughed into the tissue and cleared his throat. “You didn’t have to. It just happens like that, you can’t control it. That’s just how it is.”

 

_ I should know. _

 

Virgil nodded slightly and sniffled a bit.

 

Logan stood up and walked out of the room. He walked into his and made his way to the closet. He looked in to find something he never thought he’d need again.

 

_ Well, it’s not for me, so... _

 

Logan returned to Virgil’s room. Virgil looked up at him, his eyes red from crying.

 

“I’m...I’m not sure how well this will work for you…” Logan held out a plush blue penguin to Virgil. “I know it’s not purple but this is all I had as a kid. It helped me at times when I needed it so I’m sure - well, no, hoping - that it works for you.”

 

Virgil gently grasped the penguin and ran his hand over the soft material. He then held it close to him and sighed.

 

“Thank you, Logan.” Logan nodded and coughed into his tissue. “You should get to bed…”

 

“As much as I hate it, yes, I should.”

 

And with that. Logan walked off to his room with his cough medicine.

  
  


**~~~~~~~~~~**

 

Roman heard the bell chime. He looked up to see Patton walking in with a small smile on his face. He let out a sigh of relief.

 

_ Maybe it was just my imagination… _

 

“Hey, Pat! How are you-”

 

“I have news to tell you.” Roman blinked.

 

“News?” Patton nodded. “What news?”

 

“About your, uh, king? Prince? I’m not sure what you call-”

 

“My knight.” Roman swooned at the thought of him but he stopped himself before he did anything drastic. “What about him? Did you see him earlier?” Patton nodded. Roman gasped.

 

_ Patton ran into him?! _

 

“He’s sick.” Roman gasped again.

 

“Oh no! My knight has fallen ill! Oh, what poisoned him? Was it that dastardly witch in the forest?” Patton laughed.

 

“Yes. She has cursed him with the common cold.”

 

“Wait, really?” Patton nodded. “Well, the witch has gone easy on her curses.”

 

“That or she’s losing her power.” Roman grinned.

 

“I’m glad you actually play along with me when I do that. Thanks, Patton.” Patton smiled.

 

“Of course. But anyway, I also saw Virgil and-”

 

“Oooh, you did? Please, go on and tell me more.”

 

“Well, I  _ was  _ before you interrupted.”

 

“Oh, sorry! Please continue.”

 

“Well, I ran into him at the store. He was there buying cough medicine for Logan and I bought it for him and I walked him home.” Roman gasped and his jaw dropped.

 

“You  _ talked  _ to him?” Patton nodded. “And you  _ bought  _ him his  _ medicine  _ for him and  _ walked  _ him  _ home _ ?” Patton nodded again. “Patton, you’re such a gentleman! Look at you, growing up!” Patton blushed a bit and laughed when Roman started “drying his tears”. “Oh, they grow up so fast!”

 

“It wasn’t anything big, Roman. I-”

 

“Nothing big? Patton, the guy doesn’t talk nor does he ever step outside! This is  _ huge _ !”

 

“I guess.” Patton’s smile disappeared.

 

“Something wrong?” Patton shrugged.

 

“I have to remind myself that he’s not used to having anyone talk to him…”

 

“What’d he do?”

 

“He ran inside once Logan answered the door.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Well, yeah. He’s just not used to it. But I’m sure he’ll warm up to you!” Patton smiled a bit.

 

“Thanks, Roman.”


	7. Chapter 7

Roman woke up to the sound of buzzing. He felt around for his phone and once he got it, he turned it on.

 

**Unknown Number:** Hi, it’s Logan.

 

Roman gasped.

 

_ A wake-up text from my knight?! God, I’ve waited so long… _

 

Truthfully, he’s only waited for a week, but that’s beside the point.

 

Roman sent a text back.

 

**Roman:** Hi Logan!

 

_ Does that sound too eager? _

 

**Roman:** Heeeyyy.

 

_ Does that sound too flirty? _

 

**Roman:** Hey.

 

_ Does that sound too serious? _

 

Roman sighed.

 

**Roman:** Hey Logan. How’s it going?

 

_ …Does that sound too casual? _

 

Roman groaned and sent the text.

 

_ Whatever happens, happens. _

 

He dragged himself out of bed and stretched. He then looked at himself in the mirror and frowned.

 

_ Ugh, I look  _ **_terrible_ ** _! I need to fix this ASAP! _

 

What do you think happens when you mix a nervous Roman and three hours of sleep? You get the following events:

 

Roman showered three times in the span of an hour because he kept forgetting to put conditioner in his hair. He changed into fifteen different outfits until he finally found one he felt decent in. He kept putting on and taking off his shoes for some odd reason and ended up putting on two left feet.

 

When he made it downstairs to the kitchen, he was sure he had put his clothes on right…until he realized he had put his shirt on backward. He went back upstairs, switched his shirt and walked right back down to the kitchen.

 

“Roman.”

 

He looked up to see his mother sitting at the dining room table with a cup of coffee in hand.

 

“Yes, mom?”

 

“Who’s on your mind this time?”

 

Roman blushed a bit.

 

“It’s no one. Just…worried is all.”

 

“Patton?”

 

“Sort of.” His mother hummed in response. “Your father’s left to the bakery. He realized you slept in and decided he’d be better off working alone today.” Roman frowned. “Seize the opportunity. Go and do something today.” Roman smiled.

 

“You know, that’s a good idea! Thanks, mom!”

 

Roman ran out of the house and was immediately hit with the frosty morning air. He shivered and walked back inside.

 

“It’s cold out, isn’t it?”

 

“...Yeah.”

 

Roman walked back upstairs to put on a sweater. He then walked back downstairs and bid goodbye to his mom before he walked back out. He breathed in the cold morning air and shivered a bit more.

 

_ Where should I go off to today? _

 

His phone buzzed and he immediately pulled it out to see-

 

**My Knight <3:** It’s going good. How are things with you?

 

Roman smiled.

 

**Roman:** Things are great!

 

_ Does that sound too eager? _

 

**Roman:** Things are fine.

 

_ Does that sound like I could possibly be depressed? _

 

**Roman:** Things are good.

 

_ …But are things  _ **_really_ ** _ good? _

 

Roman sighed.

 

**Roman:** Things are good! Just wondering what I could do to enjoy the beauty of today!

 

_ …If the first one didn’t sound eager, then this one  _ **_certainly_ ** _ does. _

 

**Roman:** Things are good! Are you doing anything today?

 

_ …You know what? Fuck it. _

 

**Message delivered**

**~~~~~~~~~~**

 

“Virgil, I swear, I am  _ fine _ !”

 

“You said that yesterday and guess what?”

 

“Don’t-”

 

“You coughed!”

 

Logan let out a sigh. He had been trying to convince Virgil that his sickness was practically gone but of course Virgil insisted that he stay more time in bed.

 

“Virgil, please, I can’t stay in bed any longer. It will literally kill me before this sickness can.”

 

Virgil rolled his eyes.

 

“Besides, I need food! Not soup!”

 

“Oh gee, I was not aware that there was a second Virgil in the house.”

 

Logan pouted.

 

Alright, fine, maybe sickness did make Logan a bit…irrational but it didn’t make him into a second Virgil! Or, so he thought.

 

“May I at least be moved to the couch so that I can do my work?”

 

“Work is all you can think about it, isn’t it?” Logan frowned. “I’m just saying-”

 

Virgil was interrupted by the sound of Logan’s phone buzzing. Logan hesitantly pulled his phone out and saw that it was a text from Roman.

 

“Is it him again?” Logan nodded. “What’d he say this time?”

 

“He asking if I’m doing anything later.” Virgil did his best to hide his smirk.

 

“Well, are you?” Logan looked up. Virgil immediately went back to having a poker face. “Never mind. Tell him you’re too busy working.” Logan’s eyes narrowed. “What? It’s the truth, isn’t it?”

 

**Logan:** I’m not doing much today. I might work a bit, but other than that, I’m not doing anything.

 

“Delete the first part of that.”

 

Logan looked back to see Virgil looking over his shoulder.

 

“It’s too wordy like that.”

 

**Logan:** I might work a bit, but other than that, I’m not doing anything.

 

“Yeah. that works.”

 

**Message Delivered**

 

“I can’t believe you’re actually helping me with this.”

 

“It’s the least I can do.”

 

Virgil walked off to the kitchen. Logan looked back and sighed.

 

_ The least you could do… _

 

Logan’s phone buzzed.

 

**Roman Empire:** Oh okay, sounds interesting.

 

“Roman Empire?”

 

Logan jumped a bit and turned around.

 

“Could you  _ please  _ stop doing that?”

 

“Once you start having a decent conversation with him.”

 

“What do you mean by that?”

 

“As in not small talk but  _ actually  _ talking about something.”

 

Logan frowned.

 

“I do not appreciate you judging me.”

 

“Just trying to help.”

 

“Really now? Then what should I say to him next?”

 

“Ask him if he’s doing anything later. He asked you so it’s logical if you ask back.”

 

_ Logical… _

 

**Logan:** Are you doing anything later?

 

Logan’s thumb hovered over the send button.

 

“What is it now?”

 

Logan sighed.

 

“Does it sound like I’m inviting him or something? Or waiting for an invitation for something from him?”

 

Virgil stared at Logan.

 

“You’re literally just asking if he’s doing anything later.”

 

**Message Delivered**

 

**~~~~~~~~~~**

 

Patton sat outside under the large tree in his front yard gently plucking the petals off of a flower. There wasn’t much to do today since he wasn’t called in for work and he didn’t want to run into Virgil for fear of scaring him off again.

 

_ Maybe I was too forward… _

 

“Patton!”

 

Said person looked up to see Roman jogging up to the gate. He was smiling.

 

“Patton, guess what? He  _ finally  _ texted me!” Patton smiled.

 

“I told you he would.”

 

Roman leaned against the gate and sighed happily. Patton giggled and walked over to him.

 

“So now what?”

 

“I’m trying to find something to do. Wanna hang out?”

 

_ Well, I’m not doing anything today… _

 

“Sure, why not?” Roman grinned and held out his hand towards Patton.

 

“Come on, let’s go conquer the world!”

 

Patton unlocked the gate and took Roman’s hand.

 

“Let’s go conquer the world.”


	8. Chapter 8

Patton and Roman sat at a little cafe not too far out from Patton’s house. Roman was currently drinking some iced coffee while Patton was drinking some iced tea.

 

“This is nice,” Roman said as he leaned back in his chair. Patton nodded. “I mean, I know I always see you but it’s nice to spend some time with you. Just the two of us.” Patton laughed.

 

“Save that for your knight, Roman.”

 

Roman blushed.

 

“That  _ did  _ come off a bit romantic…” The two laughed.

 

Suddenly, Roman’s phone buzzed.

 

**My Knight <3:** Are you doing anything later?

 

_ Oh god, am I? _

 

Roman glanced over at Patton, who was currently staring out at the world.

 

_ If I tell him no then that means he might ask me to do something later…but that also means I’d have to leave Patton to himself… I’m sure Patton would understand… _

 

As Roman began typing out his response, he heard Patton say,“Hey, you think we can go somewhere later? I kinda want to stay out of the house today…”

 

_ Never mind. _

 

**Roman:** Yeah, I’m hanging out with my friend all day today. Why do you ask?

 

_ That sounds- you know what, Patton is waiting for a response. _

 

**Message Delivered**

 

“Yeah, we can go somewhere later. Did you have any particular place in mind?”

 

“Not really. Just someplace that isn’t home.”

 

_ I know that feeling buddy. _

 

“Then again, I do have an idea for something you could potentially do.” Roman looked up.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“So you know how you’re texting your knight now?” Roman blushed.

 

“Is it that obvious?” Patton nodded. “Sorry.”

 

“It’s fine. Anyway, I’m sure he asked you what you were doing today and I’m sure you said nothing, right?”

 

“...I told him I was hanging out with you today.”

 

“...Aw. I didn’t expect that.” Patton smiled a bit. “The idea could still work though.”

 

“Which is…?”

 

“Surprise him with pastries since he’s been sick for a week.” Roman smiled.

 

“Patton, you’re a genius.”

 

**~~~~~~~~~~**

 

Logan walked into the house and set everything down on the coffee table. He examined everything he had gotten and hoped Virgil would like them.

 

While Virgil was taking a shower, Logan had slipped out and gone to the store. At the store, Logan had spent a long while scanning through the aisles of the store, looking for anything Virgil might’ve remotely liked. He wasn’t even sure what he was looking for but he knew that everything seemed too colorful or too childish for Virgil. He had been just about ready to give up when he spotted some posters. Then the idea came and now here he was standing in front of what was quite possibly the most creativity and effort he had ever put in gift before.

 

“Virgil!” he shouted. When no response came, he walked over to Virgil’s room and gently knocked on his door. “Virgil?” Still no response.

 

Logan gently opened the door and looked in. He saw him fast asleep in bed.

 

_ Oh, I hope I didn’t wake him!  _ He thought as he slowly closed the door and walked back to the living room.  _ I guess I’ll just have to wait then. _

 

He carefully set Virgil’s gift aside and glanced over at the notebooks. Did he  _ really  _ want to do work? The answer came in the form of a text.

 

**Roman Empire:** Yeah, I’m hanging out with my friend all day today. Why do you ask?

 

**Logan:** Oh, no particular reason. Just curious.

 

**Message Delivered**

 

Logan set his phone down and sighed as he sat down on the couch.

 

_ Maybe I could relax and watch some tv… _

 

**~~~~~~~~~~**

 

“Roman, listen to me!”

 

“Ugh, no, I don’t wanna hear this!” Roman yelled as he ran out with the pastries. His father yelled after him but Roman wasn’t listening.

 

As soon as Roman spotted Patton, he ran to him. He shouted after him and Patton looked up to see Roman flailing frantically.

 

“What happened?”

 

“I got dramatic with him and he didn’t like it so now I’m running away to my prince! Patton, run away with me, I’ll take you to yours!”

 

Patton blinked, trying to comprehend what Roman had just told him. Roman pulled him along as he ran.

 

“We don’t have much time! We only have until midnight, let’s go!”

 

**~~~~~~~~~~**

 

Virgil rubbed his eyes as he walked out of his room. He had just woken up from an unintended nap and was sure Logan was home by now.

 

Logan looked up to see a sleepy Virgil walk in. He set his notebooks down and cleared his throat. Virgil stopped in his tracks.

 

“Oh, hey! Sorry, I kinda fell asle-”

 

“It’s fine Virgil! Don’t worry about it!” Logan smiled a bit. “Come here, I have something I want to give you.”

 

Virgil walked over and stood in front of him. Logan reached under the couch and pulled out Virgil’s gift. Virgil’s eyes widened and Logan silently cheered on the inside.

 

Currently, Logan held out two Nightmare Before Christmas posters - one had Jack, the other had Sally. He also had a note attached to one of them. Virgil carefully reached out and took the posters.

 

“This is so cool,” Virgil whispered. He smiled a bit and looked up at Logan. “Logan, tha-”

 

“Dad,” Logan corrected. Virgil’s eyes widened even more.

 

“What?”

 

“You can call me dad.” Virgil blinked.

 

“Who are you and what have you done with Logan?” Logan gasped and Virgil laughed a bit.

 

“I’m the new Logan! I’m just like the old Logan except more…forgiving, for the lack of a better word.” Logan smiled. “I saw the way your eyes lit up when Roman handed you the basket and it got me thinking about some things…” Logan’s smile disappeared. “I’m sorry I haven’t been much of a father figure or anything. I hardly know anything about you and I want to change that.”

 

Virgil nodded a bit.

 

“Does that mean we can re-introduce ourselves?”

 

Logan smiled and nodded.

 

“Sure, if you want.”

 

Logan stood and looked up at Virgil.

 

“Hey there! I’m Logan, your new dad!”

 

Virgil smiled.

 

“Hey, dad! I’m Virgil, your new son!”

 

Logan laughed and outstretched his hugs.

 

“How about a family hug, huh?”

 

Virgil’s jaw dropped.

 

“Serious?”

 

Logan nodded. Virgil carefully hugged him and Logan gently returned the hug.

 

When they pulled away, Virgil laughed.

 

“Does this mean I can now tease you about your crush on Roman?”

 

Logan blushed.

 

“What? I have no idea what you’re talking about. That’s not possible.”

 

Right as Virgil was about to argue back, there came a knock on the door.


	9. Chapter 9

The door swung open to reveal a confused looking Logan. Roman beamed and held out the pastries.

 

“Hello!~”

 

Logan’s jaw dropped.

 

“R-Roman?” he asked. “What on earth are you doing here?”

 

“Got bored and came to visit! Can we come in?” Roman pulled Patton beside him and Patton flashed a warm smile.

 

Logan heard Virgil make a distressed noise and hesitated. He turned back to see Virgil retreating into the kitchen.

 

“Um, I’m sorry, could you excuse me for a moment?” Logan asked. Roman and Patton nodded. Logan gently shut the door and walked over to Virgil. “Virgil? Is your heart-”

 

“Pounding out of my chest…” Virgil buried his face in his hands in a desperate attempt to calm himself down.

 

“Hey, I’m right here. If anything, I can keep him away from you - unless if him being around is bad enough…”

 

Virgil heaved a sigh and mumbled,“Keep him away but please tell him why. I don’t want him thinking he’s a bad person or something.” Logan nodded and walked back over to the door. He opened it to see Roman and Patton bickering.

 

“But what if he doesn’t want me here, Roman?”

 

“I don’t see why he wouldn’t. I mean-”

 

Logan interrupted them by clearing his throat.

 

“My apologies, I didn't mean to interrupt! You may come in but please keep your distance from Virgil.” Roman and Patton nodded. Logan saw Patton’s smile falter. “Also, it has nothing to do with you. I just don’t want to risk Virgil being hospitalized again.”

 

_ Who knows how long he would be back there again… _

 

“Hospitalized?!”

 

Logan nodded.

 

“You see, he has this, hm, condition, I suppose you can call it, where if he sees anyone remotely, uh, “cute”, his heart could burst-”

 

“That’s not true!” Virgil shouted.

 

“Yes, it is, Virgil!”

 

“That’s not what the doctors told me!”

 

“I know it’s not but let’s face it, it’s basically turned into what I just described!”

 

When there came no response, Logan smirked and turned back to a red-faced Patton and a smirking Roman.

 

“I shall try my best to keep Patton from hospitalizing Virgil,” Roman promised. Patton gently punched his arm and blushed more. The two walked inside and Logan gently shut the door behind them.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A year later...

“Are you boys alright in there?” Logan asked as he popped his head into Virgil’s room.

 

Patton and Virgil sat on his bed curled up in blankets as they watched the movie. Patton turned to Logan and nodded.

 

“Yeah dad, we’re okay,” Virgil insisted as he smiled a bit.

 

“Okay just making sure. I don’t wanna end up walking in here at some point and you’re just on the floor, dying or some-”

 

“Dad!”

 

“What? I’m just saying! I’m your dad, aren’t I allowed to be concerned?”

 

“Well, I mean, yeah, but Patton knows his boundaries!”

 

“It’d be bad if I didn’t at this point in the relationship,” Patton said as he giggled. Logan nodded in agreement.

 

“Alright, well, just yell if you need anything!”

 

The two nodded and Logan shut the door and walked off. Patton turned to Virgil.

 

“Hey, I know a kiss could probably kill you, but would a hug also be too much right now?”

 

Virgil thought for a moment.

 

“No, I don’t think so.” He carefully hugged Patton, who gently hugged him back. The two continued watching the movie in peace.

 

Meanwhile, Logan walked into the living room to see Roman sitting on the couch with a bowl of popcorn. He grinned.

 

“Shall we?” he asked.

 

Logan smiled as he sat down beside Roman. Roman wrapped an arm around him and gently placed a kiss on his forehead. Logan pouted a bit and laughed before turning to watch the movie on screen.


End file.
